The South-to-North Water Diversion Project serves as a crucial lifeline, delivering drinking water to northern China, and fostering ecological renewal.
As of June 24, 2025, the first phase of the eastern and central routes of the project had delivered 81.33 billion cubic meters of water, benefiting 185 million people in 45 large and medium-sized cities.
Replenishing water and restoring nature
In the past, excessive groundwater extraction in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei caused serious land subsidence. Now, with diverted water replacing groundwater use, the water table in Beijing’s plain has risen by over 13 meters in ten years, and overextraction zones have been eliminated.
The project has also supplied 11.8 billion cubic meters of ecological water to more than 50 rivers in the north. Dry rivers like the Hutuo and Juma now flow again. The ancient Grand Canal achieved full flow in 2022, and the Haihe River Basin is showing signs of revival.
To ensure clean and safe water delivery, China South-to-North Water Diversion Corporation Limited has built a comprehensive water quality monitoring and emergency response system, supported by smart technologies and real-time data sharing.
Low-carbon water diversion
The project, with ecological development and environmental protection as fundamental goals, designed the central route with gravity-fed scheme, while the eastern route with a step-by-step pumping system, minimizing energy use.
By 2027, the goal of the company is to achieve zero-carbon operations on the central route and low-carbon operations on the eastern route — setting an example for green development in large-scale water projects.
Toward a green and smart future
New follow-up projects, like the water diversion from the Yangtze River to Han River, are being built with strong environmental safeguards, including optimized routing and integrated ecological management.
The company is also exploring water-energy integration, such as turning water channels into energy corridors and combining storage with hydropower. Projects in Qinghai and Chongqing are helping reduce carbon emissions while supporting green energy development.
Meanwhile, digital technologies are driving smart water management. The “Digital Twin” of the project uses AI, cloud computing, and IoT to enable real-time monitoring, simulation, and early warning — marking a new chapter in intelligent water governance.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
